Cornell taps Sally Yates to lead wide-ranging review of its response to sexual misconduct claims
Cornell University said Tuesday it is bringing on a former Justice Department official to review its handling of sexual misconduct claims, including the alleged 2024 sexual assault of a former student at a fraternity house.
The review will look not just at that specific incident, but also more broadly at "how the University prevents and responds to sexual harassment, sexual assault and related misconduct on campus."
Former Deputy U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates will lead what the university is calling a "comprehensive independent review," the university said in its announcement.
The review is separate from Letitia James' criminal investigation as special prosecutor.
The university said Yates' review will cover "Cornell's policies, practices and resources across the full range of prevention and response."
That includes:
- how reports are received and investigated
- student support systems
- looking into how hearings, disciplinary decisions are handled
- the role and response of campus police
- how coordination takes place with other law enforcement agencies and prosecutors
- fraternity and sorority oversight
"Sally Yates brings extraordinary experience, independence and judgment to this work," said Anne Meinig Smalling, chair of Cornell's Board of Trustees. "The questions raised by the Jane Doe matter warrant a rigorous examination of Cornell's response to that case, but our responsibility is broader. We have asked Ms. Yates and her team to examine Cornell's overall approach to preventing and responding to sexual misconduct, identify where we are doing things well and where we can do better, and recommend changes that will help make our community safer."
Yates and her review will report their findings to a special committee of the Board of Trustees, which then expects to share the results and recommendations with the broader Cornell community, according to the university.
The announcement comes as Cornell is facing intense scrutiny and on-campus protests over how the school responded to the alleged gang rape in which nobody was criminally charged.
"It is imperative that Cornell be willing to examine itself with the same rigor we expect of others. We want to understand not just what happened in 2024, but how Cornell can become a leader in preventing sexual violence, supporting those who come forward and responding to allegations rigorously, fairly and compassionately," Smalling said.
Yates served in the Justice Department for decades, until she was fired by President Donald Trump in 2017 for "refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States," the White House said at the time. Yates' firing came after she said she was "not convinced" an immigration order by Mr. Trump was "lawful," and that the Justice Department would not defend it in court "until I become convinced that it is appropriate to do so."
In private practice, she investigated allegations of abuse, misconduct and harassment at the National Women's Soccer League.
